It is desirable to use new methods of polymerizing alpha-olefins with new classes of Lewis acids to catalyze the polymerization. New Lewis acid type catalyst would be valuable for the stereo- or regio-selective polymerizations of olefins.
There has been growing interest in the synthesis or organozirconium compounds owing to recent reports of their applications in bond-breaking reactions, insertion reactions, conjugate additions, and Grignard-type additions.
1,1-Bimetallics of transition metals are well-known to serve a wide range of applications towards organic synthesis. However, the chemistry of 1,1-bimetallics containing zirconium has not been extensively studied, and only a few cases have been reported, including zirconium with zinc as well as aluminum. The examples of the use of boron in organic synthesis are legion. In order to extend organozirconiumboron chemistry, it would be of great value to develop a novel class of 1,1-bimetallics based on zirconium and boron. Since both zirconium and boron are lewis acids, it is reasonable to expect that zirconium and boron bimetallics could be potentially applied in organic synthesis as stoichiometric reagents.
Thus, hydrozirconation is one of the most promising organometallic techniques used in organic synthesis. Schwartz and co-workers have developed this reaction in a series of papers as follows:
1. Schwartz, J.; Hart, D. W. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1974, 96, 8115. PA1 2. Schwartz, J.; Labinger, J. A. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1976, 15, 333. PA1 4. Bertelo, C. A.; Schwartz, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1976, 98, 262. PA1 5. Carr, D. B.; Schwartz, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979, 101, 3521.
3. Hart, D. W.; Blackburn, T. F.; Schwartz, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1975, 97, 680.
It would be desirable to provide new bimetallic compounds catalysts, the catalysts providing methods of polymerizing alpha-olefin containing Zr and B that provide superior and efficient methods.